The present invention is related to an automotive interior lamp.
Conventionally, there is known an automotive interior lamp described in Patent Document 1 which is used to attach an interior lamp to a ceiling of a passenger compartment (refer to Patent Document 1).
In an attaching construction of a lamp unit described in Patent Document 1, a fixing device for fixing an interior lamp and a reinforcement together is provided on an reinforcement side of a holder so as to hang therefrom. In addition, flexible arms and flexible arm restricting portions are provided. The flexible arms are each bent into an inverted U-shape, and a distal end portion of the flexible arm is locked on an attachment portion of the reinforcement. The flexible arm restricting portions are provided at a side of the corresponding flexible arms so as to be brought into engagement with supporting pieces of the corresponding flexible arms to thereby restrict the distal end portions of the flexible arms from being displaced along an attachment/detachment direction of the interior lamp.
According to the attaching construction of Patent Document 1, a module can be installed in the vehicle body panel in an ensured fashion by the distal end portions of the flexible arms. In addition, the distal end portions of the flexible arms are not displaced towards the interior of the passenger compartment along the attachment/detachment direction of the interior lamp to/from the vehicle body panel when the module is installed on the vehicle body panel. Therefore, an excessive clearance is unnecessary between an attachment portion on the vehicle body panel and the module in consideration of the displacement of the distal end portions of the flexible arms. Additionally, even when a strong external force is exerted on the fixed module which directs the module towards the interior of the passenger compartment with respect to the vehicle body panel, the flexible arms are advantageously prevented from being disengaged from the fixed state to the attachment portions of the reinforcement.
On the other hand, since a slide construction is needed in a mold for forming the flexible arms in the attaching construction of Patent Document 1, costs for the mold is increased.
A resin clips 200C in a related art are shown in FIGS. 6A to 7B. FIGS. 6A and 6B show one of the resin clips 200C provided in a four corners of a housing 20 (FIG. 2). FIG. 6A is a perspective view and FIG. 6B is a vertical sectional view of the clip 200C. As is shown in the sectional view in FIG. 6B, the resin clip 200C includes a base portion 200B connected to the housing 20, an inverted U-shape portion 200U connected to the base portion 200B, a lock 200L connected to the inverted U-shape portion 200U and forming a hook portion 200K and a projecting piece 200T formed at a lower portion of the lock 200L to thereby be configured as a spring formed into an inverted U-shape in whole and exhibiting an elastic force resulting from the elasticity of the resin material of which the resin clip 200C is formed.
The resin clips 200C having elasticity are formed in the four corners (refer to FIG. 2) of the housing 20. Therefore, when the respective locks 200L of the four resin clips 200C are pushed up towards the circumferential edge 61 (FIG. 3) of an opening in a reinforcement 60 (FIG. 3) from below, the locks 200L ride over the circumferential edge 61 of the opening in the reinforcement 60 due to their inclined portions and the elastic force exhibited by the resin clips 200C, and the hooks 200K of the locks 200L lock on the circumferential edge 61 of the opening in the reinforcement 60, whereby a lamp assembly 40 (FIG. 2) including the housing 20 is installed on the reinforcement 60 (FIG. 3) in such a state as shown in FIG. 6B.
In the automotive interior lamp 100 including the resin clips 200C of the related art, when a force acts in a downward direction F1 (FIG. 7A) due to the weight of the lamp assembly 40, lower end portions of the locks 200L of the resin clips 200C move in a direction F2 in FIG. 7A, as a result of which the housing 20 hangs by a distance t1 as is shown in FIG. 7B, resulting in a fear that the exact attached state cannot be maintained.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-1459